BATTLE OF THE JAPAN SEA (1969) – Japan’s Toshiro Mifune led the cast of this Japanese film about their successful naval clashes with Russia during the often-forgotten Russo-Japanese War (February 1904 – September 1905). U.S. servicemen stationed in Japan played the Russians.
Fans of Reilly, Ace of Spies may remember that the Japanese attack on Port Arthur in 1904 was at the core of that program’s second episode.
Other footnotes that might excite interest in this film for people who aren’t familiar with the Russo-Japanese War – President Theodore Roosevelt negotiated the peace between the two nations to end the war; one of the staff officers who accompanied Roosevelt on that venture was a young Douglas MacArthur; and Tsarist Russia’s humiliating loss in the war helped fuel the ultimately unsuccessful communist uprising in 1905.
On to the film itself. Battle of the Japan Sea employs the approach that moviegoers will recall from The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, Midway, even Inchon and others, by having an all-star cast (in the Far East) act out set pieces throughout the scattered fighting.
Mifune as Admiral Togo is as watchable as always, but the rest of the cast ranges from so-so to poor. The Americans playing the Russians are clearly reciting their lines phonetically, but that can’t be avoided.
The model work in the battle scenes was handled by noted Kaiju director Eiji Tsubaraya in his final film. Some of the battleship models were as large as 14 yards long, so very fine details were featured, making the whole production several steps above Tsubaraya’s other works.
Storywise, all roads lead to the Japanese smackdown of the Russians. The movie plays fast and loose with some historical details, but that’s to be expected in a drama vs a documentary.
As one of a mere handful of films about the Russo-Japanese War, Battle of the Japan Sea deserves more renown. The vintage weaponry alone helped keep my eyes glued to the screen, and the rest of the production is solid enough for an afternoon’s watch.
Balladeer's Blog 
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Thanks!
Grandissimo film!
I agree!
An excellent movie with great casting! 👍 👌
I certainly agree, friend!
Battle of the Japan Sea sounds like the sort of film I’d enjoy. My husband builds models, so he’d very very interested in seeing the model work in the battle scenes! Thanks for sharing 💜
Thank you very much! Yes, it’s a fascinating film and hopefully your husband would like the models!
Great posts as always. I have never heard about this movie before but I would definitely check it out after reading your review. There are truly not enough war movies about Japan. One thing I have noticed is that most war movies at least the ones I have seen focus on the American perspective. Very few movies capture the war from the point of view of Japanese soldiers. So, in this regard, “The Battle of the Japan Sea” definitely stands out in the genre.
I’m a huge fan of the war movie genre. Recently, I made a list of my top 10 favourite war movies of all time. Here are my picks for the greatest war films ever made:
Thank you for saying so!